Abel to Yzerman

If any of you donated a single cent to George’s trek to TC, and wonder where the money went? Read this. It’s a great final chapter to one of the best displays of hockey blogging/writing you’ll ever see.

Every report from George out of camp was an amazing collection of insider knowledge, hockey genius and delicious Wing fan bias. Perfection. He brought a huge amount of class to A2Y and turned this place into something reputable for 11 days. And so, as I thank Malik for that, I’ll also say this…

Thid Rosby does suck, can suck and will continue to suck it long and hard. And that’s just the law. The Wings stroll into The House That Gary Built tonight, a meaningless game, an exhibition for god’s sake, just a little shinny that will happen to take place between two teams who despise one another.

The Pens hate the Wings because of one guy, Hank Zetterberg. He’s owned them in every matchup, and he’s in their collective heads. Why? Because their “captain” soils his thong at the mere thought of 40 hounding him, laughing at him, stifling him. No one in the league plays Rosby better because no one has the tenacity to defend him as well as Zetterberg, and no one has the calm demeanor that allows him to view it as a game of washer toss with a PBR rather than an exercise in stress. Zetterberg enjoys making him sad and Rosby knows it better than anyone.

The Wings despise Pittsburgh because of everything that team represents. While the Wing organ-I-zation worked hard over two decades to build this Dynasty, the Pens were handed gifted players due to utter (and perhaps not so coincidental) failure on the ice. They were propped up by the league, financially and commercially, and then shoved past the gag reflex of the hockey world again and again until Gary’s creative Finals scheduling, horrific officiating and a spate of Detroit injuries led to a Cup calling that one-trick town home for ten months until Thid’s “leadership” allowed the thing to walk away without a fight. And all of that offends a team hell-bent on tradition and sustained excellence.

The Pens don’t like the arrogance that surrounds the Wings. They feel it’s unearned and it burns them that a team two full seasons removed from its last Cup can be so maddeningly confident about their chances of regaining what belongs in Detroit. Pens fans, in particular, just don’t like that very much. And here’s the thing, which is so very interesting. The Wings and Wing fans share something very similar in that we all take great joy in this rash, this burning that penicillin can’t solve, this frigging pain that Pens fans get when they pee and think of the Red Wings all at once. Deep down inside, the Pens team knows this Detroit team is better. And way deep down inside, Pens fans know it too. And, oh how it hurts.

So, it’s an exhibition, a pre-season game and nothing more than sixty minutes to kick some tires.

But don’t you think there might be a little discussion in the Wing room about how fun it might be to kick some Pen ass in their new building, in front of a few thousand “fans” and Gary Bettman who will be watching on satellite wearing a diaper and an “87” half shirt?

Good job George. Great job actually. Now let’s head back to the gutter where we belong, eh?

Live blog tonight. As far as I know, the game’s not on tv. But one of you smart bastards will find the feed, and there’s always radio one way or another. I’ll be braving Coronado traffic through the first period but we’ll get the thing kicked off 30 minutes prior to game time with some Motherfauxing Seger.

Comments

I’m saddened by the fact that Red Wing’s hockey will be taking place tonight, and in this digital age all we will be able to do is listen. If you haven’t seen it yet, NHLN announced their preseason broadcasting schedule on Monday. Four Wings games, albeit one is not being broadcasted live, but delayed until 1AM.

Ahhhh,
I love the smell of hockey in the morning.
Welcome home , Chief.

And this,Posted by VooX from Behind the Bar in the Hasek Club Car on 09/22/10 at 11:51 AM ET,priceless.

(BTW - George ... excellent.)

L.G.R.W.

Posted by
stonehands-78
from the beginning ... a WingsFan, on 09/22/10 at 12:59 PM ET

when they haven’t really gotten better at any position

Um.. what?

First, if you’re just comparing it to last season, the fact that currently our roster has people that aren’t medically prevented from playing the game is a gigantic improvement. The amount of man-games lost last year was absurd (Thanks, Larry) but yet…

The Wings STILL managed to outperform the Pens.

More points in the regular season [CHECK]
Competing in a Conference that’s worth a damn [CHECK]
Not losing to an 8 seed full of diminutive French Canadians [CHECK]

Sure, the post-season didn’t end the way we wanted, but all year we played through ridiculous injuries with a rookie goaltender in the clearly better conference against clearly stronger opponents and STILL came away the better team.

And so it shall be. From now into perpetuity. It’s just the way things are.

...is it October yet?

Posted by
CaptNorris5
from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 09/22/10 at 01:13 PM ET

Elegantly broken down bartender. Be nice and hand him a towel to wipe the mess off his face.

Nice to have you back Chief.

The Wings and Wing fans share something very similar in that we all take great joy in this rash, this burning that penicillin can’t solve, this frigging pain that Pens fans get when they pee and think of the Red Wings all at once.

I watched the re-air of the Ottawa/Toronto game on NHL Network last night. Man, does Lebduh look weird, weird, weird in blue. At one point in the second period, he got called for tripping, but Ottawa scored on the delayed call. First thing I did was laugh my ass off at Lebduh, the second thing I did was say, “Thank God we don’t have to put up with that shit anymore”.

Posted by
Chris in Hockey Hell
from Ann Arbor, MI but LIVING in Columbia, TN on 09/22/10 at 02:21 PM ET

Posted by VAHockeyFan on 09/22/10 at 12:36 PM ET

Inferiority complex? In what way could it be deemed that the Wings are inferior?? Remember us having a better regular season than you last year despite the horrible injuries? Or is it our 11 cups? Or last couple decades of dynastic dominance and intelligent management?

Yeah, there is plenty wrong with us… but inferiority complex doesn’t make the list.

Posted by
CaptNorris5
from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 09/22/10 at 02:37 PM ET

Looked into Wings-Hawks this Sat, but cheapest tix is SRO at like 35 bucks, gotta love the bandwagon, we’ll see how fast that falls off when they realize the Hawks are a mere shell of what they were.

I nabbed 4 together in the side the Wings shoot twice on Stubhub for like 25 or so. Looks like there’s still some available in that general area for 30ish. If you find yourself there, let me know. We’ll have to meet up and grab a beer.

Posted by
CaptNorris5
from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 09/22/10 at 02:39 PM ET

Things certainly look back to normal (?) around here. Nice to hear from you Chief. Let the juveniliciousness commence. L.G.R.W.

Posted by
calquake
from a.k.a. Uniquake, workin' on my manifesto on 09/22/10 at 02:54 PM ET

Holy cheddar on the fried chicken, Chief. Welcome back to terra firma and thank you for giving George a grand opportunity.

VooX, great to see you again, too. Make mine a double of Jameson’s and a double of Hacienda Dona Engracia Anejo Tequila and f*ck the lime-and-salt stunt; no one in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico does that shit. Slainte and Salud!

I like our chances much better this year with Modano than the time with Hossa. Like Draper said a short time ago, “We really have five NHL lines.”

Posted by
SYF
from Twerkin' with Anastasia Ashley on 09/22/10 at 03:04 PM ET

Has anyone found out where I might be able to pick up a stream of tonight’s game online (video would be great, but I will settle for audio only)? I’m out here in Dive country and won’t have local radio broadcasts from Detroit comin’ over the airwaves.

The Malik investment has been deemed “money well spent”. Outstanding reporting was sought and delivered. Great work G.

Chief, welcome back. I see the big grey boat is safely tied to the shore and the frivolity flag has been run up. I’ll definitely be a looking for The Whining Bitch on the bay. The fall Hot Rum series is about to start.

The small flightless birds with no external genitalia are pulling out all the stops to open the new Gloo with a win. Do the Wings need any more incentive to chalk up a win? Me thinks not.

Posted by
Rumbear
from Top O the Hasek, fanning the flames, with rum..... on 09/22/10 at 04:09 PM ET

Posted by Hank1974

That’s very considerate of you. Which means you need to STFU and GTFO.

Why isn’t this game being televised? I don’t care if it’s preseason, it’s the first game in a new building. We had video for a fuching intersquad scrimmage at a practice rink yesterday and these guys can’t broadcast the first game at a new building?

Gary couldn’t share some his $7 mil salary to get a fuching camera in there?

Although I’m not a huge fan of preseason anything, it’s great that hockey is coming back. I’m ready for this season (plus I just got my first bill for Center Ice). A tinge of fall is in the air and it is time for the boys to put on their skates.

About Abel to Yzerman

Welcome to Abel to Yzerman, a Red Wing blog since 1977. No other site on the internet has better-researched, fact-laden and better prepared discussions than A2Y. Re-phrase: we do little research, find facts and stats highly overrated and claim little to no preparation. There are 19 readers of A2Y. No more, no less. All of them, except maybe one, are juvenile in nature. Reminding them of that in the comment section will only encourage them to prove that. Your suggestions and critiques are welcome: wphoulihan@gmail.com